Car-coupling



FRANK SHELDON AND HARRY M. MILLIKEN, OF CHEBOYGAN, MICHIGAN.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,163, dated March14, 1899.

Application filed March 9, 1898.

To all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that We, FRANK SHELDON and HARRY M. MILLIKEN, residing atCheboygan, in the county of Cheboygan, State of Michigan, have inventeda new and Improved Car- Coupling, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to that class of carcouplers having the draw-barsequipped with coupling heads vertically adjustable and means for settingsuch heads to a coupling position operated either from the sides or topof the car. In couplings of this character heretofore provided thedraw-bar is usually held for lateral movement on its supporting membersand also for vertical swing. Our invention differentiates froln suchconstruction and arrangement of the draw-barili that the draw-bar isfixedly held so far as it relates to a lateral and vertical movement,and its draw-head is connected thereto to have a clearly-definedvertical movement, whereby it can be readily set by suitable liftingmeans operated from the top or sides of the car to travel onto theopposing draw-head to couple therewith, the relation of the draw barsand heads being such that the said bars Will at all times maintain afixed position lengthwise of the car and have only the usuallongitudinal spring-buffer motion whereby to provide a positive, strong,and simple form of coupling.

Our invention also comprehends a couplerv of this character havingsupplemental coupling means whereby our improved draw-head can bereadily coupled With the ordinary pin coupling-heads.

In its subordinate features our improvement consists in certain detailsof construction and peculiar combination of parts, all of which will befirst described in detail and then be specifically pointed out in theappended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of the end of a carequipped with our improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section showingthe two draw-heads coupled.v Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of thedrawheads, the sliding member being shown detached. Fig. 4 is a sideview showing one of our improved draw-heads coupled with the Serial No.673,208. (No model.)

ordinary pin coupler-head, and Fig. 5 is adetail plan of the abuttingends of the drawheads.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in which like numeralsindicate like parts in all the figures, l indicates the carbody; 2, theend sill; 3, the longitudinal drawbar guide-beams, and 4 the transversedrawbar-supporting timbers.

5 5 indicate the draw-bars of our improved coupler,which, as will beseen by reference to Fig. l," are of a widthto fit the space between thebeams 3, whereby they are held from lateral movement, they being,however, held for the usual longitudinal or buffer movement and providedwith buffer-springs 6. The bars 5 are also held from vertical movementby a close engagement with the bottom of the car and the timbers 1l.

So far las described it will be seen that while the draw-bars have theusual longitudinal movement in their bearings they are positively heldfrom lateral and vertical movement, such construction being provided tomaintain the opposing draw-bars always in a positive longitudinalposition, and thereby draft members having positive bearings at thefront and rear ends,whereby to produce a strong and firm coupling and tokeep the draw-heads in a true central position to insure a positiveengagement and coupling action.

The draw-heads S are detachably connected to the draw-bars and have aclearly-defined vertical adj ustment-z1 e., they are held from lateralmovement as well as longitudinal movement independent of the draw-bars.For this purpose the draw-bars have their outer ends terminating inenlargements 5f and the sides thereof formed with vertical grooves 5b toreceive the vertical side flanges ICO ploy a rock-shaft 9, heldtransversely on the front end of the car, having handles 9 at the end.This bar can have a cen trai crank member 9b, to which is attached `thelift-chain l0, as shown in Fig. l, or it may have a drum or vchain-disk10, as shown in Fig. 2, it being obvious that a second lift-chain 10",extending to the top of the car, maybe connected to either the crank ordisk.

So far as described it will be readily seen that to adjust thedraw-heads to a coupling position it is only necessary to elevate one ofthe heads 8 sufficiently high so its lower beveled face 8b will engagethe upper beveled face 8l of the opposing head, it being obvious that asthe two heads thus engage and are closed against each other by releasingthe lift on the upper coupling-head the same will drop by gravity into acoupled engagement with its mate, it being understood that in practicethe said heads will have sufficient free play to automatically adjustthemselves vertically to compensate for the vertical movement of theopposing draw-bars caused by the irregular vertical movement of the twocarbodies. To overcome any lateral binding of the two draw-heads whenthe cars are on curves, the impact faces of such heads are curved, asshown in Fig. 5.

For coupling to the ordinary pin couplinghead our improved coupler has asupplemental coupling member in the nature of a swinging link 13, hungon the draw-bar 5, which consists of a bifurcated portion of a length toswing freely over the front end of the head S, and a link end 13a,adapted to enter the pin coupler-head l-l, as shown in Fig. 4, and whilewe have shown no means for lifting the coupling member 13 from the sideor top of the car it is obvious that in practice such means for thispurpose are provided.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it is thought the advantages of our improvementwill be readily apparent. It will be seen that the opposing draw-headswill at all times be held in the same longitudinal plane to admit of aquick, free, and positive coupling action of the vertically-movableheads 8.

Our coupler is of such a nature as to admit of its being economicallymade and the coupling ends of such character as to produce a very strongand effective connection.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-bar provided with a solidenlargement at its outer end having a vertical front face and providedat opposite sides with vertical grooves, the vertically-movabledraw-head having a vertical rear face to fit against the vertical faceof the draw-bar and having vertical iianges workin g in the aforesaidgrooves, said head having a horizontal arrow-shaped coupling memberprovided with upper and lower curved engaging portions and having avertical front face, said head being provided above and below thearrowshaped member with vertical faces to fit against the vertical frontface 0f another draw-head, and means for lifting the heads,substantially as described.

FRANK SI-IELDON. HARRY M. MILLIKEN. Witnesses:

FRANK SHEPHERD, JOHN B. BAUCHER.

